A pair of iPhone rumors have emerged over the past 24 hours. According to reports today, Apple is readying a low-cost version of the iPhone 4, and a developer leaked that the next iteration of the iPhone will be a CDMA/GSM-capable “world phone.”
Citing “two people with knowledge of the matter,” Reuters today reported that Asian suppliers to Apple are ramping up production of a low-cost 8GB iPhone 4 that could come to market within the next couple weeks. According to the report, the flash drive for the 8GB iPhone 4 is being manufactured by a Korean company and not Samsung or Toshiba, Apple’s usual supplier for the parts.
Analysts have been adamant that Apple needs to expand its line of phones with low-cost alternatives to its pricier models, as a way of protecting its market share from the likes of Android.
The Reuters report also cited sources who claim the next-generation iPhone will launch in September and will include a larger screen, better antenna and an 8-megapixel camera. Possible names for the new phone are rumored as the iPhone 4S or iPhone 5.
In other news, TechCrunch today reported that the next iPhone will support both GSM and CDMA networks, making it a “world phone.” The website cited an app developer “of some of the most popular apps on the iOS platform,” who asked not to be named.
According to TechCrunch, the developer provided the publication with app usage logs that showed “a tiny number of people have recently registered for one of their applications from a single, brand new Apple device that is decidedly dual-mode – meaning it supports both CDMA and GSM.”
Such a move by Apple would streamline production of the next iPhone, allowing the company to produce just one phone for both AT&T and Verizon Wireless. It would also allow end users to use their phone across various network types in any country while travelling abroad.
After not releasing a new iPhone in June at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), the company is expected to release a new phone in the next couple months concurrent with the official launch of its new mobile operating system, iOS 5.
